Online Desk: Poultry farmer Harunur Rashid started raising 10,000 chickens as he was expecting huge sales during and after Eid-ul-Fitr. A rise in prices also gave him hope of a good profit this season.

But the deaths of 200 broiler chickens in two days because of excessive heat have now forced him to seek ways to prevent losses.

He has spent Tk 60,000 on medicines and installed new fans to keep the chickens alive, which cost him another Tk 100,000. He is bracing for a huge electricity bill this month.

“All in all, I’m in pain. If this situation continues, I’ll be in great danger,” said the farmer from Gazipur’s Sreepur.

Traders said they are also in trouble as they need to keep the chickens longer because of a fall in demand after Eid.

Md Jisan, a trader at Ma Fatema Chicken House in Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar, said he is losing 10 to 15 chickens a day.

“The chickens are falling sick although we keep the fans switched on round the clock. Even people are getting sick, and dying in this heat,” he said.

Md Saidul Alam of Noorjahan Chicken Broiler House said he set up five fans to save the chickens in his small shop. “But still, some chickens have died.”

Chicken prices have fallen after Eid feasts and amid the boiling heat. Broiler chicken, which was being sold at Tk 260 a kg during Eid, is being sold at Tk 200 now.

Egg traders said they are also facing losses because of intense heat.

Md Wazuddin, a trader at Fokinni Bazar in Tejgaon, said he lost 2,000 eggs to excessive heat last summer. The eggs rotted a day after they were brought.

“This is why I am bringing fewer eggs this time. But those not selling in four to five days still rot,” he said.

Md Abdul Alim, a trader in the Tejgaon No. 1 Railgate area, said people do not eat many eggs in hot weather. “The fall in demand has led to a cut in prices,” he said.

The wholesale price of duck eggs now stands at Tk 1,200 per 100 pieces. Red farm chicken eggs are priced at Tk 880 per 100 pieces while the white ones at Tk 780.

“And 200-300 eggs rot everyday in this temperature. If this continues, I’ll face losses.”

Saiful Islam, assistant general manager of sales at Kazi Farms, said prices fell as people tend to avoid eggs in hot summer weather.

Asked about eggs rotting because of heat, he said “We deliver the eggs the day they are laid. We can’t say what happens afterwards. But it’s true that eggs cannot be kept fresh for a long period in hot weather.”

Md Tareque Hossain, scientific officer at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, said broiler chickens are more vulnerable to heat because they are fat.

He suggested lowering the density of chickens in the sheds to keep them cool.

Their drinking water should be changed frequently as the water gets hot quickly too, he said.

For tin-roofed farms, there should be additional cover to protect the chickens from the direct heat of the sun.

Eggs usually hatch at 37 degrees Celsius while the temperatures are hovering around 40 degrees Celsius now, so farmers and traders should keep the eggs in cool places, such as in air-conditioned rooms, if necessary, Tareque said.

“If the temperature is above 37 degrees Celsius, the eggs for consumption may not hatch, but the protein will be destroyed. The eggs will rot,” he said.

Meanwhile, watermelons, green coconuts and pineapples have become dearer as people are trying to buy juicy fruits to fend off the heat.

Trader Lal Mia at Karwan Bazar said he used to sell small green coconuts brought from Noakhali at Tk 50-60 a piece. “Now I buy them at Tk 65 and sell at Tk 90. The medium size green coconuts are priced at Tk 120 and large ones at Tk 160.”

“The prices have jumped in just four to five days. But I still drink green coconut water for the health benefits,” said Md Shahjahan, a customer.

Md Zakir was selling watermelons weighing around 1-1.5 kg at Tk 70 apiece after buying them at Tk 47. Asked why the profit margin was so high, he said: “At least 200 out of 1,000 watermelons will rot because of this heat. That’s why I fixed the rate at Tk 70.”

Some vendors are selling cut pieces of watermelons at Tk 10. One of them, Hasibur Rahman, said he had to pay higher than the usual rates to bring the watermelons because of high demand amid the hot weather.

Pineapple seller Md Sohel also said he was selling the fruit at Tk 30 apiece, double the purchasing price, because he believes many pineapples will rot because of the excessive heat.